Baptism

[tsth]

Is there anyone else here who can say that their walk with the Lord changed dramatically after water immersion baptism? Did something specific happen at that point for you? Just curious?

In His Love,

Suzanne

[larryt]

Yes my life changed direction after I was baptised. I wasn't saved in a church. I heard someone preaching and a voice told me to listen to him. I was raised to believe the things about Jesus but he had never been the Lord. I submitted to his lordship and I was changed. For about a year I spent time reading the bible and just crused along doing most of what I was doing before but got to know the Lord in His Word. Someone asked me if I had been baptised and I told them when I was an infant. It was explained that we are to be baptised after we believe. And I was. Something just changed. It was like the Lord was asking me since He was the Lord of my life was I going to serve Him. I resolved to serve Him upon being baptised.

LT

[apothanein kerdos]

I don't know...I was too young to really notice a difference. However, I would hope your life would change. We are baptized out of obidience and to demonstrate our love for Christ...thus, by doing it, it really is our second act of obidience towards God, our first as a Christian....

[tsth]

The reason I asked was because of my own experience. I had surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, before water immersion baptism. I "thought" all was well, and it very well may have been, but, after I was baptized, there was a specific difference. I do not think the Holy Spirit indwelt me until then? I do not know, but can only say that after baptism, there was SO MUCH MORE revealed to me by His Holy Spirit. I knew, and had understanding of things that I did not know, before baptism. Things became much clearer! There was a distinct difference.

I brought this topic up, because of a common experience relayed to me by an elderly lady friend of mine. She had the same experience. I just wondered if anyone else has?

(DE, your article helped to inspire this question as well. )

In His Love,

Suzanne

[tsth]

I also noticed something similar in terms of 2 separate occasions in belief and baptism of the Holy Spirit. They were not coincidal. It is in Acts 8:12-16.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[tsth]

BUMP

Still wondering???? Anybody???

In His Love,

Suzanne

[Botz]

Being baptized was a great time as I did it together with about a dozen of us that had been saved..the presence of G-d was beautiful. Personally it strengthened my witness as I publically declared before men that Jesus was my L-rd and became an experience of G-ds anointing and my obedience that I will always look back on with excitement. Many are filled for the first time with the overflowing of the Holy Ghosts presence at baptism...I got a top up...as we all do when we reach out to the L-rd daily.

I have heard of remarkable things happening at baptism including a man who had revolting tattoos on his body and when he came up from the water they were gone forever...other people have a deeper experience of their faith and understand better than some others of us exactly what they are doing and why..as they get baptized...and therefore they can appropriate a greater fulness by faith...it was years later till I understood that I was signifying my death of the old man and ressurection in Messiah.

[apothanein kerdos]

Interesting...I think I'll study this issue when I have time. As for now I'm clueless.

[JesusisGod2]

Hi Sis,

The reason I asked was because of my own experience.  I had surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, before water immersion baptism.

This is what I felt the most, the Holy Spirit was in me the moment I surrendered to Jesus.

I "thought" all was well, and it very well may have been, but, after I was baptized, there was a specific difference.

I can also agree with this, the first thing I felt was inexpressable joy when I came out of the water, I looked at my wife who had been baptized right before me and had tears and joy as I looked into her eyes. There was something definately life changing in this act of obedienece.

  I do not think the Holy Spirit indwelt me until then?

Perhaps this is true, I really dont know either. But I would think it would take an act of the Spirit to submit to Christ in baptism. But I am unclear as well.

I do not know, but can only say that after baptism, there was SO MUCH MORE revealed to me by His Holy Spirit.

There are some who are "Baptized in or filled with the Spirit" at this moment some before and some after. Perhaps yours coincideded.

  I knew, and had understanding of things that I did not know, before baptism.  Things became much clearer!  There was a distinct difference.

Did this knowledge also come at that moment or as you began to study? just curious.

I brought this topic up, because of a common experience relayed to me by an elderly lady friend of mine.  She had the same experience.  I just wondered if anyone else has?

(DE, your article helped to inspire this question as well.  )

In His Love,

Suzanne

Great topic by the way, I also believe in water baptism, not as a salvation issue, but as an obedience issue and I believe that God has a special blessing for those who submit to the call.

[Khristeeanos]

There are a few examples of people receiving the "gifts of the Spirit" before they were regenerated.

The first Gentile converts to Christianity are the most prominant.

God had never granted repentance/salvation to anybody who was a non-Jew unless they converted to Judaism before this situation.

They were able to speak in tongues, yet the context never says that they were "saved."

I don't believe that this happens today, though. But I am not God, so I can't say for sure.